Érchomai
by Thorntangle
Summary: Picks up right after MOA. Focuses on the war between the camps, the war against Gaia and the search for the House of Hades. POV from all major characters, special focus on Percy/Annabeth, Jason/Reyna. More of a mature take on what I believe will happen in HOH.
1. Chapter 1 The Romans are Coming

**A new story, picking up right after the events of MOA**

**Needed something to do while I'm trying to recover my other story's chapters, let me know what you think of this.**

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**The Argo II**

There is no worse feeling in the world than being unable to help a friend. Jason Grace felt physically ill as the Argo II began to rise out of the underground cavern. Thoughts of what he could have done, should have done, plagued him as the Argo II and her precious cargo sailed over Rome. How could he have let Annabeth go alone? How could he have not seen that a spider web was still wrapped around her ankle? Why didn't he fly down and grab them? How were they supposed to complete their quest without Percy and Annabeth? What would Chiron and the rest of Camp Half Blood do once they found out he had let Percy and Annabeth get dragged to Tartarus? Would they be able to make it to the Doors of Death, or were his friends lost forever?

A shock traveled up his arm as he slammed his palm against the railing of the ship. The wind tugged at his clothes, the air beginning to thin as the Argo II gained altitude. Night was quickly descending upon the Eternal City, the soft glow from windows creating strange and grotesque shadows upon the buildings. It was easy for Jason to imagine what Annabeth and Percy were facing as he watched Rome glide past. The shadows morphed into monsters, the twisted streets a deadly maze from which there was no escape.

Piper, who was standing next to him at the rail, attempted to rest a hand on his shoulder, but he edged away from her. He didn't need her sympathy, didn't need to see the pity swirling amongst the colors of her eyes. Percy and Annabeth should be on the Argo II. Gaia should not have gotten one step closer to rising. The legion shouldn't be preparing to march against Camp Half Blood.

As the ship picked up speed, the wind became a savage creature, tearing and clawing at his shirt. It no longer moaned and sighed through the Argo's boards but howled with such a rage Leo's message over the intercom was snatched away. Amidst the rush of air, Jason could just make out an all too familiar voice. _First there were seven and now there are five. It's only a matter of time little hero._

Below, heat lightning flashed and crackled in the clouds over Rome. The charge in the air was palpable. For the first time in a long time, Jason felt like he had a purpose. It was as if the heat lightning was coursing through his veins, not flashing within the clouds. Gaia continued to whisper taunts, but Jason ignored her raspy voice, focusing instead on the flickers of light and energy swirling around him. In the distance, their voices dueling with the raging wind, wolves sang to one another, calling the pack to the hunt.

**Tartarus**

It felt as if they were in the eye of some terrible storm. If she hadn't been so exhausted and delirious from pain, Annabeth might have had the common sense to scream. The wind roared past so savagely that even if she was screaming, the sound would have been snatched away and drowned out. Bits of what was left of the floor of Arachne's lair kept plunging past, scrapping her hands and face. It was impossible to hold onto Percy, they kept twisting and turning, head over heels, banging into the sides of the hole.

She felt like Dorothy, stuck inside a tornado, about to be deposited into a whole new world. Unlike Dorothy, Annabeth wasn't going to be dropped into a Munchkin's field and greeted with a song. Maybe when they reached the bottom, she and Percy would land on Arachne, squishing her just like Dorothy's house crushed the Wicked Witch of the East.

**New York City**

Reyna riffled through the various maps and scout reports spread in front of her. She'd been in the conference room all day, devising multiple strategies for the invasion of Camp Half Blood. Try as she might, she couldn't focus her whole attention on her battle plans. Hours earlier, a messenger from Camp Jupiter had arrived with an urgent summons from the Senate. The presence of the Centurions and Octavian in a video conference had been demanded, but she had been instructed not to attend. It was the first time in her career that she had not been welcomed to a Senate meeting. The unusual meeting had her on edge. If she had to guess, Octavian had probably written a letter to the Senate, complaining about how she was delaying the invasion of Camp Half Blood. Knowing Octavian, he had probably made out the delay to sound as if she were attempting a peace treaty with the Graecus, as opposed to describing the scouting missions she had been sending out. Sure the missions had set them back a few days, but Reyna wanted to be prepared, only fools stormed into battle. The fact that the missions won Percy some extra time was beneficial too.

Reyna tore her gaze away from the maps spread across the table as the door to the conference room opened. The Centurions filed into the room and stood behind their chairs. Slowly, Reyna straightened and casually rested her hand on the hilt of her gladius. The Senate was not against ordering the removal of officials and she wouldn't be surprised if Octavian had grown tired of waiting and organized a coup. He was a smooth talker and many of the Senators had been unhappy with her protests against the decision of war with Camp Half Blood. She had effectively made herself an enemy of the state by standing up for the seven chosen demigods. Rome had a terrible and bloody history, one littered with the bodies of unfortunate officials and civilians. If the Centurions and the Senate had decided they were going to remove her because she had delayed the invasion, she was not going to be caught unawares like Caesar. Reyna was a daughter of Bellona and New Rome would remember her as one. There would be no report of her having fallen while unarmed, if she was going down, she'd go down with a bloody sword and her shield in hand.

Octavian strode into the room and kicked the door closed behind him. Reyna swept her gaze around the room quickly, and then locked eyes with Octavian. The Son of Apollo kept his expression blank and pulled a sealed letter from the folds of his armor. Reyna's pulse was racing, as was her mind, but her breathing was slow and even. The Centurions were completely still, all of them standing at attention. Dakota had something bright in his hands. The gleam of light off gold was unmistakable. What an idiot, she thought, only he would have an unsheathed pugio in his hand. Dakota was always restless before a fight, always the first to draw his weapon. She took everything in and analyzed it, hundreds of thousands of disarming, maiming and killing techniques coming to mind. A perk of being a daughter of Bellona was that strategy was simply second nature. The fact that she had trained alongside these people for four years also helped her decide the most effective defense techniques. In the seconds it took Octavian to slide the letter in his hand across the conference table to her, Reyna had already decided the easiest ways to disarm and restrain the ten Centurions in the room, as well as the cleanest and most painful way to dispatch Octavian.

With an air of carefully practiced and painfully maintained disinterest, Reyna picked the letter up. Unbidden, images from her history books of Caesar being stabbed to death by his friends and Centurions on the Senate floor flashed before her eyes. Octavian enjoyed watching people squirm, he'd let her read the death sentence or less likely the removal order from the Senate before he ordered the attack. Carefully, she pulled a thin dagger from the folds of her toga. It took all her willpower not to throw the knife across the room at the Augur, not that the dagger would be able to pierce his armor. It wasn't a pugio, just a simple steel blade with a curved bone hilt. Reyna didn't want to show her unease, using her pugio to open a letter was overkill and Octavian would take nothing but glee in the fact that she was freaking out.

The letter, addressed to her from the Senate, was brief. Her full name and title were printed across the top in handwriting she recognized as Gwen's. It was hard to believe that Gwen was going along with this; she had hoped that some of the Centurions would stand up for her. She wasn't exactly friends with her Centurions, but she had been certain, only a few hours ago, that they respected and trusted her more than Octavian. A lesson she had been taught years ago broke through her racing thoughts. Lupa's gruff voice seemed to whisper in her head, _aut vincere aut mori, _conquer or die, that is the way of Rome. Steeling herself, Reyna read the sentence written below her name. It was a simple phrase, one that completely changed everything.

_Rei gerundae causa_.

For the matter to be done.

Shocked, she looked up at Octavian and the Centurions with what had to be the most ridiculous expression ever. Despite all her years of attempting to remain stoic during stressful situations, she couldn't help but gape at the letter in her now shaking hand. This couldn't be right; it had to be a joke. The Senate could not have ordered this; Octavian would never have allowed it to happen. Not since the Second World War had this order been given, and even then, the Senate had only issued it in the final months.

In times of crisis, usually during a war or a rebellion, the Senate convened and voted upon naming a dictator. Unlike the warlords of third world countries that claimed the title now, a dictator in the Roman Republic was someone, usually a Centurion or Praetor of one of the legions that had been voted to full power. In order to win a war or crush a rebellion quickly and skillfully, one person needed to be issuing orders, as opposed to a group of officials voting on every action and bickering Praetors. The dictator or Magister Populi, had absolute authority and did not need the approval of the Senate, which disbanded when the dictator was given power, before issuing orders. Once the war had been won or the rebellion was put down, the dictator was expected to renounce his claim and return power to the Senate, the people of Rome.

Many famous Senators and Centurions had held the position in the past, most notably Julius Caesar. It was the most powerful and dangerous order the Senate could issue. To give someone absolute authority and then hope that they would later give it up was the biggest gamble. Some people like Cincinnatus who held the position for sixteen days, exemplified the selflessness, leadership and civic virtue expected of a Roman, while others who had been appointed abused their power and allowed ambition to dictate their actions.

Dakota held out what she had originally thought was pugio. The light from the table lamps reflected off the polished Imperial Gold, but the delicate and skillfully wrought circlet of laurel leaves was not a weapon. Finally remembering herself, Reyna snapped her mouth shut and re-read the letter from the Senate. She felt lightheaded, adrenaline was coursing through her body, but the fire she usually felt before battle was gone. Ice water seemed to have replaced the blood in her veins. She had thought the pressure of being the only Praetor was difficult and almost impossible to live with; the burden of dictator would surely break her.

As if he could sense her growing anxiety Octavian smirked. "Ave, Magister Populi."

Reyna gripped the edge of the conference table as the Centurions echoed Octavian's cry. _Hail, Master of the People_. Her knuckles were as white as the bone hilt of the dagger she had used to open the letter. She didn't even realize Dakota had moved to stand next to her until he carefully placed the ancient laurel crown on her head. Sweet, merciful Jupiter, what in Pluto's name had Octavian done? Reyna wanted nothing more than to rip the circlet off and hurl it at the still smirking Augur. She wanted to refuse the Senate's offer, she didn't want nor could she handle this position. For months she had been barely treading water as the sole Praetor of the Twelfth Legion, now she was the Magister Populi of New Rome.

She could have delayed the invasion further if the Senate had removed her, but by declaring her dictator, everyone, from the legionnaires to the civilians safely behind the Pomerian Line, was expecting her to not only crush Camp Half Blood, but lead the legion to victory against Terra. Octavian had tied her hands and forced her move, it was too much; she couldn't be the Roman everyone expected her to be.

_Aut vincere aut mori. _

This time, it wasn't just Lupa's voice whispering the words in her mind.

**Camp Half-Blood**

Chiron paced nervously across the porch of the Big House. The sky, which had been slate grey for days, was quickly filling with dark clouds. The waves in the sound had begun to crash against the dock and beach, the wind tearing through the strawberry fields. Campers raced across the volleyball courts, ducking in and out of bunk houses and the supply shed. Nervous pegasi were being led from the stables, their harness rattling and neighs bordering on screams. On top of Half Blood Hill, Ladon stretched his wings and blew a column of fire into the air.

A message had been delivered by a courier from Camp Jupiter early in the morning. Chiron had quickly called a councilors meeting, empty soda cans and plates now littered the ping pong table. Everyone was on high alert and trying to prepare. The children of Athena were setting up tables and hanging charts on the front of their cabin. The Ares and Hephaestus kids were trying to coax the anxious pegasi to stand still while they were strapped into the new, gleaming war chariots. Arrows were being fletched and bows, swords and lances were being inspected by the children of Apollo. Head councilors were making sure the younger children had their armor on correctly and that the Hermes kids stopped playing keep away with the grenades.

He had to admit, though he loathed everything about their culture, the Romans stood true to their traditions. Chiron had not been expecting a formal declaration of war, though the declaration was just as irritating as it was foreboding. Jason had failed to mention that his co-praetor was just as condescending as her trainer. Whoever this Reyna girl was, Lupa had done an extraordinary job teaching her, because the child managed to piss him off as much as the she-wolf usually did.

_Érchomai_.

The courier's message was just one word, Greek, for "I am coming".

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**Leave a review and let me know what you liked, what needs to be fixed and if you want me to continue.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2 Brace Yourselves

**Sorry for the wait, I had trouble settling on a name for my OC and I edited a scene so it would fit with the sneak peak of HOO.**

**For any fans of Returning Home, the Octavian POV chapters are coming...**

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**New York**

Reyna was still reeling from last night's announcement. No matter how long she thought about it or how many times she absently reached up to touch the laurel crown on her head, she still couldn't believe the Senate had named her Magister Populi. Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined this.

"Well," She glanced up as Octavian stood and stretched, "I think we've covered everything, I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

Try as she might, Reyna couldn't help but roll her eyes at the irritation in Octavian's voice. When she had presented the invasion plan of Camp Half Blood, which called for an early wake up call, the Augur had been furious. For hours he had argued with her, trying to talk her into invading that night. Only after Larry had threatened to cut out Octavian's tongue had Reyna used her newly bestowed authority. She had to admit, it was nice to tell Octavian to sit his podex down and shut the Pluto up without having to worry about retaliation.

Realizing he wasn't going to get a response from her, Octavian quickly gathered his things and left. Reyna had the laurel crown off as soon as Octavian's toga slipped around the door. For something so delicate, it could really weigh a person down. The polished gold leaves shone in the low light and reflected fragments of her frame. Every time she turned it, she was looking at something different; pale skin, a piece of dark hair, the corner of her velvet Praetorian cape or the strange reflection of her golden breastplate.

She jumped and almost dropped the circlet when Argentum barked. Cursing herself to the Underworld and back for losing herself in her thoughts, Reyna quickly straightened and looked up at the door. Servius Cornelius Aelianus, or Cas as he insisted everyone call him, was a legacy of Victoria who could trace his ancestry all the way back to the Roman Republic. When the time had come for her to name a Magister Equitum, a fancy way for saying a second in command, Reyna had surprised everyone by naming Cas. Many people liked to believe that there was this great rivalry between her and the Legacy of Victoria. After the war with the Titans, the praetor who survived the storming of Mount Tam announced his resignation. The praetor, Marcus, a son of Mars, had been her and Cas' mentor. Since Cas had been at Camp Jupiter longer, almost as long as Octavian, everyone was sure Marcus would cast his vote for his favorite mentee, and he had. Reyna still felt sick every time she thought of the day Marcus had stood up in front of the Senate and cast his vote for her, a willful, half trained child over Cas, the decorated, well-loved legacy. To this day, the Cornelius family would not speak to her or agree with anything she proposed in senate. Cas, however, had remained as friendly and supportive as the day she struggled through the front gates.

"So, what has Octavian been whispering in your ear?"

Reyna pulled herself from her memories and waved Cas into the conference room. The Legacy of Victoria shut the heavy door carefully and sank into the plush leather chair on her right. Aurum, who usually snapped at everyone but her sister, jumped up onto Cas' lap before he could push his chair in.

"_Aurum, down!"_

Cas laughed as the gold greyhound gave her a look that would have curdled milk and jumped into the chair next to his favorite Centurion. Unable to help herself, Reyna threw the dog a disgusted look.

"Focus Reyna." Cas scratched the much more well behaved Argentum behind the ears.

"I'm always focused." Reyna narrowed her eyes and pointed to the floor. With a long suffering sigh, Aurum heeded her and slunk to the floor.

Cas straightened and pulled the map of Camp Half Blood that had been in front of her toward him. He had not been present at the debriefing and quickly scanned her notes.

"I like everything but your initial strike." Cas slid the map back to her. "It won't be successful; the Greeks have the higher ground, not to mention air support." None of the Centurions had liked her battle strategy; it went against every Roman military principle.

"We need that hill."

"I know that Reyna, but if the Graecus have an ounce of sense they'll mount their best archers on half of their pegasi and put them in the air. The other half they'll hitch to chariots which they'll race down the hill and at the Legion, breaking our line." Cas studied her carefully. "The line is our greatest defense and weapon, if it is broken, we are defeated."

Reyna nodded. "I know that Cas."

Cas opened and closed his mouth, clearly confused. "Then why are you…" The Legacy of Victoria broke of when he saw that she was watching him. "You want the Graecus to fly their pegasi and charge the chariots at us."

"Patience is not a virtue common to the Graecus." Reyna pointed to the map of Camp Half-Blood. "That hill is the camp's only natural defense, when they see us climbing it, they'll hit us hard, arrows to weaken us and chariots to break us. I plan to land the pegasi, without them, the archers have no choice but to harry us from the front. As for the chariots, we'll trap them in the midst of our line."

"How do you propose to trap them in the line?"

Reyna pointed to her diagrams of the battle and re-explained the first strike. "The legion will be broken into three lines, with space between the second and third line. The Fifth will make up the first line, since it is the largest Cohort. When the charioteers charge, the Fifth will plant their shields and angle them, creating a massive ramp. The chariots will be launched up and over the first two lines, landing in the space between the second line and the third line. While the First and Third Cohorts, the second line will turn to force the chariots into the advancing Second and Fourth Cohorts, the third line, the Fifth shall cover the First and Third's backs."

Cas shook his head. "The legion's strength lies within the line, a complete, unbroken line. You're splitting our force down the middle and leaving only one Cohort to hold off the Graecus foot soldiers."

"The Graecus aren't stupid; they're not going to smash their force against our shields. Athena may not be like Bellona, but she has passed on some wisdom to her children, my brief discussion and skirmish with Percy's girlfriend has made that much clear. They won't be expecting us to land their pegasi." Though Camp Jupiter emphasized teaching the legionaries to fight with sword and spear, campers were taught archery. "Once their pegasi begin falling and their chariots are shattered, they'll fall back."

"How can you be sure they'll fall back?" Cas' voice was doubtful.

"The Graecus divide their campers based on godly parent and have no defacto leader besides their trainer Chiron, who by law cannot participate. With Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase absent, leadership falls to a daughter of Ares who is almost as unpopular as she is feared. Percy is the camps moral, no one will be able to rally them as well as him and Chase is the strategist, without her, the Graecus will follow the most basic of Greek military strategy."

"I'm still not sure if using the Graecus' own military tactics against them will work."

Reyna smiled. It was a sad, fleeting gesture, there one minute and gone the next. "I created the strategy with the hope that the Seven would be at the battle."

Cas regarded her thoughtfully. "One can only imagine the outraged expression the daughter of Athena would have worn when we took her camp with a strategy she knew so well."

Reyna couldn't bring herself to meet Cas' gaze. She knew what she would see in his bottle blue eyes. "With Greek strategy the legion will take Camp Half-Blood, after which we will raze and salt the earth, as is the Roman way."

"_Aut vincere, aut mori" _Cas whispered.

Though it was intended as a promise to the legion's efforts in the battle to come, Reyna couldn't help but wonder if Cas was giving her a gentle, but firm reminder.

**The Argo II**

"If those pebbles for brains throw one more rock at my ship I swear on Hephaestus' hammer that I will grind them into dust!"

Hazel had never seen Leo so furious. For days, the spirits of the mountains had been bombarding the Argo II with boulders as the demigods attempted to navigate their way out of the Mediterranean. It had been a unanimous decision to travel by air, as opposed to sea, since Percy was no longer aboard. Everyone had thought the going would be a bit easier and faster, but the mountain spirits seemed to have it out for them.

"Leo, you need to calm-"

Leo completely ignored Piper's attempt to charmspeak him and continued to shout at in Greek at no one in particular as he tried to maneuver the Argo II out of range. The constant raising and lowering of elevation, as well as the sudden, sharp turns, was almost as cruel to Hazel's stomach as the heaving on the waves had been. While Frank manned one of the Argo's big guns and Jason used his son of Jupiter abilities to blow the boulders off course, Nico held her hair and made sure she wasn't tossed overboard with the remains of her lunch.

"We're moving too slow."

Nico's voice was barely a whisper, but Hazel heard him nonetheless. If she wasn't too busy retching, thanks to Leo's most recent crazy maneuver, she would have agreed with him. The mountain spirits were nothing but a nuisance, they had faced more terrifying enemies on the water, but every time one of their boulders hit the Argo II they seemed to break something important. She couldn't count how many times Leo had had to land the ship and replace the mast.

As boulder sailed straight toward the railing, Hazel forgot her queasy stomach and pulled Nico to the deck. The relatively short time Nico had spent imprisoned and in Tartarus had taken its toll. As Hazel held him down, she was struck by how thin he was underneath all his clothes and long coat. She hadn't really noticed what a skeleton he had become; Nico had always been thin and made of sharp angles.

The boulder, despite Jason's attempt to knock it aside with a burst of wind, snapped the mast in two and lodged itself into the starboard side of the deck. Leo let loose a string of Greek words that would have made Annabeth proud and the nuns at Hazel's old school faint as the Argo's alarms began to wail. The mast, unlike its predecessors, didn't fall overboard, but smashed into the wheelhouse. Thankfully, Piper tackled Leo and the both of them tumbled out and onto the main deck just before the mast crashed down.

Frank's shrill prayers blurred with the mountain spirits' roars of victory and the wailing of the Argo's alarms. Without thinking, Hazel wrapped an arm around the railing and heaved Nico up so that he could do the same. For once, the dramatic tilt and sudden turn of the ship didn't set her stomach to heaving, nor did the drop in altitude and rapidly approaching ocean. It was the look on Piper's face as she and Leo rolled across the deck and over the starboard railing that made Hazel want to lose her lunch all over again. Leo's shout of, "Brace yourselves!" was the last thing she heard, before the rush of wind filled her ears as the Argo II plummeted toward the dark blue water of the Mediterranean Sea.

**Camp Half Blood**

"You think they'll attack tonight?"

Travis didn't turn his head to acknowledge his brother; the Romans could start creeping up Half-Blood Hill at any second. Chiron had given him and Connor permission, that is, he hadn't told them to move when he saw that they had set up a lookout post atop the Big House. Though the house was set at the bottom of the hill, its roof was the highest point in camp and provided an unobstructed view of the entire grounds. Should the Romans start swarming over the hills, or come in from the sound, Travis and Connor would be able to spot them and raise the alarm. Once the alarm was sounded, he and Connor would bail, but not before they gave Will Solace and his archers a hand up.

Carefully, Travis inched his way across the sharply slanted roof. All night he and Connor had been up here while the other campers tossed and turned in their beds, eyes glued to some fancy night vision binoculars the Hephaestus kids had made. The binoculars picked up everything; there was even a setting for heat vision. Though it was pitch black, dark storm clouds had moved in over the camp in the afternoon and had yet to disperse, Travis could see each and every barb on the wire strung atop the hill.

"Dude."

Travis whipped his head away from the quiet hillside and scanned the shore of the sound. Damn those Athena kids and their so-called-wisdom, he had told Malcolm repeatedly that there should be some sort of defense along the beach. When he was unable to find even a crab stirring in the sand, Travis turned and lay on his back, doing a quick scan of the woods that Connor was supposed to be watching.

"I give." Travis turned back onto his stomach and lowered the binoculars; he didn't need them to see Connor who was right in front of him. "What did your little eye spy?"

Connor didn't lower his binoculars or even chuckle at his joke; he just waved his hand in front of him, motioning to something. Travis turned around again, feet carefully angled along the shingles of the roof; he'd hate to slide off, though Mr. D would get a kick out of watching him fly past his window. He tipped his head back and glanced at the angle of his brother's binoculars, then raised his own pair to his face. All he could see was the side of some cabin.

"Dude," Travis tried fixing the focus, "what am I supposed to be looking at?"

"Aphrodite Cabin, second window on the left from the door." Connor's voice was slightly high pitched; it always got like that when he and Travis were doing something against the rules.

Taking heed of his brother's directions, Travis adjusted his binoculars. What he saw made his foot slip. Framed in the second window on the left from the door of the Aphrodite cabin was Drew, shirtless. Though the lace curtains were closed, they didn't offer much cover and Drew's hot pink, Travis zoomed in, push up bra was clearly visible.

"Connor," Travis held a fist up for his brother to bump, "Hermes would be proud."

Connor mimicked Malcolm's ponderous tone. "What do you think Travis, a D?"

Travis zoomed in some more. "Nah, Drew's a fake, all padding I say."

"I don't know man; I've gotten a feel once or twice."

He couldn't contain his laugh. "Yeah right dude," Travis lowered his binoculars when Drew shut off her light, "the closest you've ever come to copping a feel is the day she tripped on a branch and crashed into you, fully armored."

Travis didn't have to turn his head to know his brother had found another window to peep into. Quickly, he raised his binoculars and started scanning the Aphrodite's cabin's windows. If the goddess of love knew what they were doing or if her daughters found out, they would never forgive them. On the other hand, Hermes would never forgive them for not thinking of doing this sooner.

Much to his disappointment, all the windows in the Aphrodite cabin were dark. Without a second thought, Travis turned slightly so he could do a sweep of Apollo's cabin. Connor had a thing for blonds; his brother had to be checking out the Apollo girls. Unlike Drew, the Apollo girls had enough sense to install and draw blinds that actually worked. The Hunters weren't here and since the only Athena girl worth spying on was off on a quest to rescue her boyfriend, Travis was at a loss to who Connor was looking at. Before he could ask, his brother answered.

"Cabin Four, third window on the right."

Travis frowned as he focused in on the Cabin and window that his brother had whispered. Cabin Four was Demeter's, who in Olympus was Connor spying on? There were only five daughters of Demeter, and only three of them were close in age to him and Connor. Of the three, only two lived at camp year round.

"Dude if you have me peeping in on Miranda, I swear I'm going to beat you with your binoculars."

It wasn't the temporary head counselor Connor had found silhouetted in the glow of the weak cabin light. The girl was too tall and her shoulders were not as narrow. Travis couldn't help but zoom in. Dark brown hair, that in the right light looked black, was pulled over one shoulder, but a few wavy strands brushed the plain white cotton band of the girl's bra. As strange as it sounded, Hermes would probably have his head for this; he prayed to all the gods that the girl wouldn't turn around. The view of the girl's back, toned muscles moving fluidly under her always lightly tanned skin was too much. To make matters worse, as if Connor watching what he was watching wasn't bad enough, the girl was only in a bra and a tight, small pair of shorts. Travis lost it not when the girl turned, but when his brother made an appreciative noise and declared she was a 34 B.

Connor wasn't expecting, nor did he have time to prepare himself, when Travis launched himself over the top of the roof and at him. How Travis was able to get a strong enough foothold on the sharply slanted shingles was the first question Connor planned to ask, when his brother stopped whaling on him for spying on Katie Gardener. Of course, Connor had to make matters worse and comment about Katie's lackluster taste in underwear. That drove Travis to slug him, which then sent him off the roof and onto the rotted covering of the porch, which he promptly crashed through. Luckily, the porch's deck only sagged under his weight. Amidst the splintered pieces of the porch's roof, Connor lay dazed, clutching his bleeding nose.

"So ow are we suppose o eplain this to iron?"

Connor could just imagine the smug smile on Travis' face when he replied. "We'll tell him the truth of course; you're an idiot and slipped."

"Thipped and fell on your fist." Connor gently sat up and tipped his head back, trying to get the blood to stop gushing down the front of his shirt.

"Like I said, you are an idiot."

Even rolling his eyes hurt. Despite the rapidly swelling eye and bloody nose, Connor couldn't help but torment his brother a little more. "Ghwas I right? Is she a 34 B?"

Maybe it was the snapping of the deck board Travis broke when he jumped onto the porch or the curse Connor shouted when his brother chucked a pair of binoculars at his head that woke Chiron. Whichever it was, the centaur was awake and armored by the time the two Stoll brothers broke through the Big House's screen door, a tangle of legs and flying fists. To add to the mayhem, their intrusion had sent Mr. D's leopard head yowling, which in turn woke the camp, specifically the trigger happy Ares kids. The Big House was surrounded and practically ruined before the Romans even laid eyes on it.

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**So, we've got a glimpse into Reyna's plans, some angry Leo and a whole lot of Stoll Brothers...hope it was worth the wait.**

**Let me know what you think of Cas. Before anyone asks about his strange name, it follows traditional Roman naming convention and there will be a section of the story where his name, his family and what EXACTLY he means to Reyna are explained. **

**For anyone who is not fond of OC's, there are only a handful of Romans and I need to fill there ranks in order to flesh out the story and "real" characters. The story will focus on Riordan's characters, mine are simply names and placeholders, people who mark a witty remark or give Reyna a bit of history.**

**As for the House Hades, this story will not follow Riordan's plot line beyond Mark of Athena. **

**Please leave a review, the more there are, the sooner I put up Chapter Three! **


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